Baby deer rescued near Dominican Hospital

Santa Cruz >> Santa Cruz County Animal Control officers are hoping to reunite a rescued week-old fawn with its mother.

About 10 a.m. Tuesday, officials at Dominican Hospital called the Santa Cruz County Animal Shelter about a fawn stuck in an area behind the hospital with no mother in sight. The young deer had fallen into an area with a 4 foot drop and was struggling to leap out of the pit, said Todd Stosuy, field services manager for county Animal Services.

"It would run full speed across the hole and bang itself into the wall (trying to jump out)," Stosuy said.

Stosuy said the animal likely fell in the night before and it couldn't find the strength to escape. Shortly after arriving, animal control officers developed a plan to safely capture the young deer to check it for injuries. An officer chased the deer toward another officer and Dominican security guards helped grab the frightened animal.

Wrapped in a blanket, the animal began crying out in the officers arms.

The young animal was taken to the animal shelter and, aside from a few scratches, given a clean bill of health by veterinarians, Stosuy said.

Other Dominican staff members told animal control officers they've seen a doe walk around the area that they believe to be the mother.

"We're looking to reunite the baby with the mother so he can continue living his wildlife out there," he said.

The task of reuniting the fawn falls onto Wildlife Emergency Services, a Moss Landing-based nonprofit that helps with wild animals found in distress. Hours after the rescue, volunteers took the fawn back to Dominican and tried to find the doe, said Rebecca Dmytryk, CEO and president of Wildlife Emergency Services.

The process entails bringing the lost animal to the area and letting it call out for its mother, which usually respond to the cries, she said.

When a doe loses its young, it can stay in the same area for days to search, Dmytryk said. With that in mind, volunteers will return to the area where the animal to search for the worried mother.

"It's a very busy area so hopefully we'll get her to come out," she said.

While a rescue was warranted in this case, she advised people to leave wild animals alone.

"Most of the time, let nature be and don't interfere unless the animal is injured or in danger," she said.